Any Other Service Dog Yorkies?

[Bella Mae]

Bella is in training for a therapy dog program. She is 4 months old and already has the sit command perfect!
My husband is a cancer patient and she has now been to the cancer clinic a total of 3 times. The oncology dr's love her the nurses go gaga over her but most importantly, the patients love holding her during the infusion time in the treatment center. We go every week and I take her with me. She was at first a "it's easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission". But it was a lot easier than I thought. They welcome her and now look forward to her coming in every Wednesday!
I know we have a long way to go for certification but she is on her way. Our goal is to take her into the oncology ward at the children's hospital. I am so proud of her, she is a real trooper!

[1kumiko]

Hello phobePSD,

Kiko, my yorkie, is a licensed therapy dog. He travels inside the cabin of airplanes to provide support for my phobia to flying after an incident, but I would like him to get adequate training as a formal service dog and do more simple physical tasks like alert care givers in emergencies etc. However, this type of training is highly costly, in my area around $10,000.

May I ask you where you had your pups trained or di you trained them yourself?

Kinds regards

[BaileysOwner]

My dog is like a Service Dog, but she isn't. I actually have a chance of being autistic, and she is why I express myself. But I have Bailey, so she keeps me out of my little world.

[Teresa Ford]

My Zacky (now at rainbow bridge) was a wonderful therapy dog. I actually take Rubin to the same nursing homes and senior day care centers, he is trained but not certified. Rubin is a beautifully calm dog. He allows everyone to pet him but he got too nervous around the other dogs and peed every time . We are training Ginny Joy because we want to visit the hospital again and they have to be certified/ licensed to do that. May God Bless your Training.

[yorkiemini]

Cali is a Service Dog and a Therapy Dog.
Just as an FYI - Therapy Dogs are not considered Service Dogs - ADA makes a clear distinction.
And, yes, it is quite expensive to get training for a Service Dog, but if you can prove a disability need there are some foundations that will help with the cost of getting a Service Dog that is trained, but most will not help with training a dog you already own. Part of the reason for that is that it takes a long time and the dog has to stay with the trainer for this, not at your home. After the dog is trained, they then train the new owner.

Not impossible to get your dog trained, but it will be expensive and time very consuming (i.e. may be lots of travel and motel living). Of course, this depends upon whether there is a training facility near you that will take you and your dog.

[Kaos]

Kaos is a licensed NYC service dog, for PTSD.

[ChloeNicole]

Hi, Chloe is a service dog(medical alert) I think it is great idea to have a group to share information on small breed service dogs. I recently moved to New Orleans(way hotter than NY) and now I am traveling mainly by foot or public transportation with my furry sidekick. Chloe uses a cape, but I would really like to find a service dog harness that is comfortable and secure instead of having her wear separate harness and vest all the time. Does anyone have a suggestion of quality online store to purchase this from? Thanks!

[Kaos]

Originally Posted by ChloeNicole

Hi, Chloe is a service dog(medical alert) I think it is great idea to have a group to share information on small breed service dogs. I recently moved to New Orleans(way hotter than NY) and now I am traveling mainly by foot or public transportation with my furry sidekick. Chloe uses a cape, but I would really like to find a service dog harness that is comfortable and secure instead of having her wear separate harness and vest all the time. Does anyone have a suggestion of quality online store to purchase this from? Thanks!

Um I know of a good website. Just not off the top of my head. I used it back when I used to vest Kaos. I'll post it tomarrow after I find it again. I'm too sick today to find it. If I forget tomarrow just PM me.

[yorkiemini]

This is the type vest I use for Cali -

Air-Tec Jr. Tiny Service Dog Mesh Vest - Service Dog Vests, Therapy Dog Supplies and Assistance Dog equipment from Wiredog

[tiggypou]

Hi. I'm new to this website and a new yorkie owner in general. Our 5 yr old son has multiple disabilities -- Aspergers (a high functioning form of Autism), ADHD, and ODD (oppoitional defiance disorder). My DH and I were at a loss on how to help him with his "stimming." Also, to make sure he's safe, since he has the bad habit of doing what is referred to "as doing a runner" (pulling/running away) and "being a Houdini" (getting out of places without people knowing it).

With him being a "runner," we've lost count of the number of times he's broke and run from us. Several of those times have been in parking lots, some resulting in him almost getting hit.

And "Houdini"? I've gotten to the point where I dread going to sleep at night or going to the bathroom, because I don't know if he's gonna unlock the front door and running out into the yard. Bearing in mind all the sick minded people in the world (kidnappers, pedophiles), you can imagine how frightening this is. Not to mention that we also live on a very busy, main highway where there have been many accidents. In fact, we ourselves got hit in 2009 when we were pulling into our driveway.

With all of that in mind, we had been talking for a while about wanting to get him a service dog and regretting the fact that we couldn't afford that. Another family with a child with disabilities asked if a service dog would have to be a big dog. I had never thought about it, since most service dogs are medium-to-large breed dogs. So I started doing some research and found that ANY breed could be a service dog so long as the need for it was not based on mobility issues (i.e. - wheelchair bound individuals). Around the same time that I found this out, a Facebook friend posted that his brother-in-law was selling a 6-month old micro yorkie. I had them call me and when I explained why I was inquiring about the puppy and what I wishing for, the brother-in-law decided to GIVE us the puppy for free.

So, as of lunchtime yesterday, we became the new "parents" of a 6-month old, micro yorkie named Jax. After basic obedience training, I will begin training him for service dog duties. I know that he won't be able to "teether" to our DS, which some people do with medium-to-large breed service dogs. However, since our DS hasn't wanted to get too far from Jax since we got him and Jax doesn't want to get too far from me, I don't think that will be a problem. But I'm kind of unsure how to train Jax to help with the "stimming" behavior or how to help calm when our DS is having a meltdown. Any suggestions?

[yorkiemini]

You are going to need some help getting your puppy trained as an autim dog. First you son is very young, and so is your dog. Service dog training is beyond obedience work and takes someone who has been there and understand well the disability that needs to be addressed by the dog. You will need an experienced trainer to determine if the dog has the correct temperment for the job you are asking of it. I would suggest that you call your local Autism Assoc. and ask for help with getting the name of a trainer. I have got to warn you thought that trainers usually don't like to train other people's dogs -- they are used to picking out the dog tht has the right qualities they know are needed. The Autism Assoc. will also know where to send you to see about a grant to cover the cost of the training. Usually the dogs are placed after they are trained. It is harder to un-train a dog behavior or thinking, but of course it can be done. If the temperment is right they learn throughout their entire life.

Good luck to you - keep us posted.

[yorkiemini]

Originally Posted by together4ever

Sorry for the errors in previous post.

We can test out when I feel we are ready.

Testing with a dog is just like testing when you were in school - best to do it right after the course when everything is fresh on both of your minds! Don't wait too long after.

[Kaos]

Originally Posted by tiggypou

Hi. I'm new to this website and a new yorkie owner in general. Our 5 yr old son has multiple disabilities -- Aspergers (a high functioning form of Autism), ADHD, and ODD (oppoitional defiance disorder). My DH and I were at a loss on how to help him with his "stimming." Also, to make sure he's safe, since he has the bad habit of doing what is referred to "as doing a runner" (pulling/running away) and "being a Houdini" (getting out of places without people knowing it).

With him being a "runner," we've lost count of the number of times he's broke and run from us. Several of those times have been in parking lots, some resulting in him almost getting hit.

And "Houdini"? I've gotten to the point where I dread going to sleep at night or going to the bathroom, because I don't know if he's gonna unlock the front door and running out into the yard. Bearing in mind all the sick minded people in the world (kidnappers, pedophiles), you can imagine how frightening this is. Not to mention that we also live on a very busy, main highway where there have been many accidents. In fact, we ourselves got hit in 2009 when we were pulling into our driveway.

With all of that in mind, we had been talking for a while about wanting to get him a service dog and regretting the fact that we couldn't afford that. Another family with a child with disabilities asked if a service dog would have to be a big dog. I had never thought about it, since most service dogs are medium-to-large breed dogs. So I started doing some research and found that ANY breed could be a service dog so long as the need for it was not based on mobility issues (i.e. - wheelchair bound individuals). Around the same time that I found this out, a Facebook friend posted that his brother-in-law was selling a 6-month old micro yorkie. I had them call me and when I explained why I was inquiring about the puppy and what I wishing for, the brother-in-law decided to GIVE us the puppy for free.

So, as of lunchtime yesterday, we became the new "parents" of a 6-month old, micro yorkie named Jax. After basic obedience training, I will begin training him for service dog duties. I know that he won't be able to "teether" to our DS, which some people do with medium-to-large breed service dogs. However, since our DS hasn't wanted to get too far from Jax since we got him and Jax doesn't want to get too far from me, I don't think that will be a problem. But I'm kind of unsure how to train Jax to help with the "stimming" behavior or how to help calm when our DS is having a meltdown. Any suggestions?

My brother has Aspergers (a high functioning form of Autism), ADHD, and ODD (oppoitional defiance disorder) too! I wouldn't suggest using a yorkie as a service dog for these disabilities at all. I have seen my yorkie which is my service dog do WONDERS for my brother, BUT I would NEVER leave the two of them alone together. My brother is a runner, and a houdini. My mother had to get locks approved for her home. You need a key to get OUT of the house. These children are far too unpredictable to leave any dog under 7lbs alone with. I think a service dog could do wonders, for your son but you should consider a larger dog with more stability.

[snoopymom]

Originally Posted by kjcmsw

Mine aren't service dogs but when I use to work with the Deaf and hard of hearing who used service dogs I starting thinking how Yorkies would be very good companion dogs for the Deaf. I even starting signing (finger spelling words) to my one Yorkie to see how she'd pick it up and so far she's pretty adept at it. I was even thinking about donating a pup (post temperament and intelligence testing of course) to someone in need through the Deaf Society in my city.

I have hand signs for most of Snoopy's commands. He actually does better with hand signs alone than he does with verbal commands.

[snoopymom]

Originally Posted by Teresa Ford

My Zacky (now at rainbow bridge) was a wonderful therapy dog. I actually take Rubin to the same nursing homes and senior day care centers, he is trained but not certified. Rubin is a beautifully calm dog. He allows everyone to pet him but he got too nervous around the other dogs and peed every time . We are training Ginny Joy because we want to visit the hospital again and they have to be certified/ licensed to do that. May God Bless your Training.

We do nursing home visits too. Snoopy is certified and the nursing home needed his papers. Other than that it's very informal. We just show up when we want and walk around. How does your program work?